Technology Meets Tradition: Custom Tailoring from Proper Suit

Confession: I don't like wearing suits. While the Esquire office maintains a business casual dress code, a large portion of my colleagues still wear suits or incorporate tailoring into their daily uniform. I do not. My aversion is two-fold. First, I was raised in southern California where, overall, sartorial formality is jettisoned in favor of comfort. It's an inclination that's stuck. Second, at 5'8", most suits just don't look right on me. I've experimented with buying mid-range brands off-the-rack and having them tailored, but the results weren't exceptional. The world, it seems, is made for a guy with a 32-inch inseam. On me, jacket lengths and sleeves are too long, and pants too roomy. So, when I was recently offered the opportunity to get fitted for a custom suit, courtesy of Proper Suit, I jumped at the chance. Herein, how it works — and an account of my own experience.

About Proper Suit
Founded in 2010 by McGregor J. Madden and Richard Alan Hall, Proper Suit looks to tap a growing market of young professionals who want a made-to-measure product but can't afford high-end labels. While England and Italy have the heritage on their side, today, it's America that's best positioned to to manipulate (in the best sense of the word) technology and outsourced production to help create low-cost, high-quality custom products for a younger demographic with a renewed interest in tailored clothing. Proper Suit is part of Chicago's growing men's-wear community (they recently moved to a 3,600-square-foot office and showroom across the street from Trunk Club) and employs a dispatch team that makes monthly trips to cities including Los Angeles, D.C., New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco, casting a wide net for those interested.

How it works:
First, you put down a $150 deposit (that goes towards the final cost of the suit) in order to schedule an appointment with an in-house fit specialist at a satellite location. Measurements are made, fabrics selected, and other details (lapel width, linings, gorge height, button stance, vent preference, etc.) are decided upon before everything is entered into an AutoCAD system and sent to a factory based in China. The factory puts your suit together according to your specs and, four to six weeks later, it arrives on your doorstep. Your measurements are kept on file for future orders.

My Experience:
"My business partner and I, Richard, really love clothes," Madden said when we met in New York late last year. "But when we got back from working in China, we didn't understand why off-the-rack costs $2,000." Looking for an alternative is what led them to found the company. "We took the product and broke it down to the bare essentials, which are fabric, the pattern, and construction by a knowledgable person."

I met with fit specialist Seth Harvey, who, like all Proper Suit tailors, went through 150 hours of training before being allowed to work with customers. He was fastidious in his measurements, explaining himself along the way, going so far as to point out that my left shoulder sloped more than my right, and noting that adjustments would have to be made on the left sleeve to create symmetry. After the measurements were done (my session was about an hour total), Harvey helped me sift through books of textile swatches to choose my fabric. Depending on your selections, a suit can set you back anywhere from $750 to $1,850 (hey, fabric costs vary substantially). On the higher end of the spectrum, Proper Suit uses textiles comparable to the ones you'd find at Zegna or Brunello Cucinelli, but offers them for a fraction of the cost ("It's because we're factory direct," Madden explained).

The Result:
The suit arrived in just under a month (in time for New Years Eve, where I planned on testing it out), and did exactly what I had hoped other tailoring experiments would do: It made me feel taller, and like I should be wearing a suit. The jacket hugged my shoulders nicely, with a soft drape and just a little padding to give it structure. The waist was nipped slightly, which (I'd like to think) made my shoulders look broader. Plus there was the inevitable pleasure one derives from certain bespoke finishings: working buttonholes (five, stacked, for something different), my monogram inside the blazer, and contrast stitching. The pants had the perfect break, but in retrospect I wish I had asked for them to be more tapered (something I'll do the next time).

Most important was the reaction, which was overwhelmingly positive — enthusiastic, even. One thing I noticed, too, is that once people got past the fact that I was actually wearing a suit (a rare occurrence), they didn't mention the suit itself, but how good I looked. And that's the ultimate goal, right? Not to be upstaged by the garment, but for it to highlight you. Has my office routine been altered? Well, no, not quite — casual is still my preference (damn you Golden State). But it's good to know that I have something ready for more formal events (wedding season looms) when the time comes.

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